PhoebeE's blog

At the end of 2023, SCM members and friends joined together in a craftivism campaign to send over 150 origami boats to the new Home Secretary, James Clerverly. This was in response to the Government’s ‘Stop the Boats‘ campaign, which we believe is driven by a narrative rooted in trying to keep refugees and asylum seekers outside of the country, and aiding in the building of a general hostile environment for refugees and asylum seekers in the UK. The ’Stop the Boats’ campaign in particular focuses on the boats that carry refugees across the channel, rather than the people seeking refuge.

If I have had the pleasure of joining any of you readers in person for a workshop recently you will know I am a big fan of Grace Petrie, the self-proclaimed ‘lefty scum, protest singer’. In April I was blessed enough to go to her gig in Birmingham with my cousins and mother, and of  course, there I found my muse for this month’s creative protest blog! Music can include everything  from  writing some of the best music of the 21st century, like Grace Petrie (in my humble opinion), to banging drums on marches, to changing lyrics to songs to generate new meanings.

“Why don’t you actually do something rather than just praying about it?”  

You could be forgiven for thinking the only place the Bible and theatre cross are at children’s nativity plays and the odd Andrew Lloyd Webber musical. However, these are words we perhaps don’t hear together as much as we should. The basis of modern theatre and much of what we see on stage today, has come from a combination of these two things.  

Protest poetry is exactly what it sounds like – a poem or poems where the main theme is uncovering and shining light on issues of social justice or capturing an emotional response to injustices. The natural flow of poetry makes the creative expression of emotion easy to follow, channelling the emotions of the poet to elicit new ones from the reader. 

Today I ended a nine year relationship. It was one I entered into because it was convenient. I didn’t know any better, and then after a while it was comfortable and harder to get out of. This was my relationship with my bank; Barclays. However, today I switched. To an ethical, greener bank with the help of the JustMoney Movement.  

By Rosie Venner, JustMoney Movement Programme Manager

Ethical banking wasn’t on my radar when I started university back in the early 2000s. I’m slightly ashamed to say that when I needed to open a current account, I simply opted for the bank that gave me a free overdraft and a railcard.  

It’s January! Do you know what that means? It's time to do something with all those old gift tags, scraps of wrapping paper, cardboard boxes and other festive debris that is lying around. And there is no better use for it than for social justice! This month’s creative protest blog focuses on ‘Craftivism’.